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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been studied for diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but herbal formulations used in available studies have not led to global symptom improvement. Further studies may be necessary to characterize the role of TCM in the management of IBS.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Energy psychology therapy appears to be safe and may be used in combination with more traditional methods of therapy under the care of a qualified healthcare provider. Energy psychology has limited scientific evidence supporting it, however, and should not be used in place of more scientifically proven therapies.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Energy psychology is based on applied kinesiology, which was developed in the early 1960s by George J. Goodheart, Jr. Applied kinesiology is a chiropractic diagnostic method that uses manual muscle-strength testing for medical diagnosis, in order to give feedback on the body's functional status.

The theory behind energy psychology is that emotional conflicts and trauma from early childhood remain in the unconscious mind throughout adulthood. These emotional issues may go back as far as intra-uterine and birth traumas; they may also include traumatic events that occurred during infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Emotional experiences are thought to cause imbalanced qi; imbalanced qi may lead to vasoconstriction, chronic biochemical and electromagnetic changes, alterations of the immune system, and illness.

Roger Callahan believes that thoughts or experiences associated with an emotional problem are contained within a "thought field." Proponents of energy psychology claim that these emotional problems may lead to physical illnesses if untreated. A thought field becomes activated whenever a person thinks about his or her problem. Associated negative emotions correspond to meridian points on the body (Callahan calls this an isomorphism). In order to eliminate the patient's emotional upset, a precise sequence of meridian points must be tapped. Callahan theorizes that the process of tapping unblocks or balances the flow of qi.

High heart rate variability may be used as an indicator of stress or illness. Callahan has published data from studies suggesting that energy psychology is able to lower heart rate variability. However, many scientists argue that Callahan did not properly perform his studies. The American Psychological Association (APA) has stated that energy psychology "lacks a scientific basis." In a survey published in an APA journal, psychologists generally consider energy psychology to be pseudoscience, indicating that it is based on false scientific claims.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Energy psychology may be self-administered or performed by a healthcare provider; it is recommended, however, that the therapy is offered by someone specifically trained in energy psychology procedures. Many books are available on the theory and practice of this technique.

Diagnosis is performed by a trained practitioner who asks questions of his or her patient that are intended to trigger painful memories. These memories create a muscle response, which helps to determine exactly where the patient's internal problems lie. Some practitioners also use mental field therapy (MFT), which theoretically leads to a rapid resolution of emotional distress.

Once a diagnosis has been made, practitioners then attempt to alter the patient's energy flow; energy flow changes may help to disconnect the patient's conditioned illness response from his or her traumatic history. Similar to acupuncture and acupressure, this technique works by tapping the patient's acupoints (points used in acupuncture) along the body's meridians (channels of energy through which qi flows), or at energy chakras (points in the body from which qi radiates). Practitioners tap these energy meridian treatment points while their patients focus on the symptoms or problems being targeted. The tapping action is believed to unblock or balance the flow of qi.

Roger Callahan asserts that his most advanced level of energy psychology, Voice Technology (VT), may be performed over the phone. The fee listed on Callahan's Web site for a practitioner to learn the secrets of this technology is $100,000. However, supportive evidence from properly-performed scientific studies of this method's effectiveness is lacking.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Unlike many other exercise modalities, you don't need special equipment or prerequisite training to practice Qigong - and you can do it anywhere! In this video, Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Qigong Expert Sifu Karl Romain talks about how to get started.

Good evidence suggests that Qi gong, when used with conventional treatments, may be of benefit for high blood pressure. Initial research reports fewer deaths among people with high blood pressure who practice Qi gong. There is some evidence that internal Qi gong relaxation exercises may be safe for helping to control high blood pressure associated with pregnancy. Further research is warranted.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.